World Risk Index 2020 | UPSC
HEADLINES:
How ready is India for climate change? Not much, says this report
WHY IN NEWS:
All south Asian countries fared poorly in the 2020 World Risk Index on strengthening their abilities to prepare and adapt to extreme events
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Report
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS go through the publishers , significance and the alarm raised in the report .
For MAINS how should we strengthen our mitigation plan ? Let us dive in to find an answer .
ISSUE:
WORLD RISK INDEX 2020
TITLE
The WRI is part of the World Risk Report 2020 released on September 15.
PUBLISHED BY
It is published by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft, in cooperation with the University of Stuttgart in Germany.
CALCULATION
- The WRI is calculated on a country-by-country basis, through the multiplication of exposure and vulnerability.
- It indicates which countries are in the greatest need to strengthen measures for coping with and adapting to extreme natural events.
HIGHLIGHTS
- India was ‘poorly prepared’ to deal with ‘climate reality’.
- Lack of preparation leads to more vulnerable to extreme natural disasters, according to the World Risk Index (WRI) 2020.
SOURCES : DownToEarth
- Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives fared better than India in their abilities to cope with extreme disasters.
- India also lagged behind these three neighbours in terms of lack of adaptive capacities or the preparedness to deal with extreme events.
- India and other south Asian nations did improve their ranking marginally in the World Risk Index during the course of a year.
- Bhutan improved its ranking the most, followed by Pakistan.
REPORT ANALYSIS
- All south Asian countries had slipped on their ability to adapt to the reality of climate emergency.
- Countries with a score above 52.73, were ‘very poor’ in their capacities to adapt to extreme natural disasters.
SOURCES : DownToEarth
SMALL ISLAND NATIONS AND AFRICA
- It was followed by Tonga and Dominica.
- These also included countries at risk from the rise in sea level as a result of global warming.
- The small island states had limited financial resources and had made small contributions to climate change, but were affected the most by its consequences.
- They needed to be compensated for the climate damage and losses already incurred.
- Qatar had the lowest risk (0.31) according to the global index.
- The Central African Republic was the most vulnerable country, followed by Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
REPORT RAISES ALARM
- Extreme weather events with major damage to property, infrastructure and loss of human life
- Human-made environmental damage and disasters, including environmental crime, such as oil spills, and radioactive contamination.
- Major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse (terrestrial or marine) with irreversible consequences for the environment.
- Major natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and geomagnetic storms.
SOURCES : WEF
TOP 5 RISKS BY SEVERITY OF IMPACT OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS
- Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Weapons of mass destruction
- Extreme weather events (e.g. floods, storms, etc.)
- Water crises
SOURCES : WEF
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Human activity has already caused the loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of plants – which underpin our food and health systems.
- Transition risks are real, and everyone must play their part to mitigate them.
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | World Risk Index 2020 | UPSC
DISCOVER MORE : REPORTS
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